Thanks for stopping by Refresh with Dawn Herring. I hope you enjoy browsing through the postings and get to know me a bit better.
I'm Dawn Herring, host of #JournalChat Live and Links Edition for all things journaling on Twitter and Facebook. I'm also a writer and artist focused on refreshment, journaling, and positive change. Email me at refreshwithdawnherring@gmail.com with any questions or comments you may have. Thanks and enjoy your stay!

Thursday, December 4, 2014

JOY: A Seasonal Prompt

Excited to be a part of Jani Franck's Creative Community called the Bubbling Well. We're in the midst of a 21 Day Comfort and Joy journey in our creative journals, so I thought I'd share my stuff with you all.

Having a sketch book for me has transformed my journaling experience and has injected JOY into my every day journaling habit. Do you know why? Well, without lines, I feel free to express myself more creatively rather than just writing. So I Doodle! Doodling is so much fun because anything goes. In addition to my Uniball Micro waterproof black pen that I write with, I have also recently added Winsor Newton Watercolor markers. Fun, Fun, FUN!

I am seriously having such a BLAST making colorful doodles; most of them I choose a word or phrase to summarize my day. Well, this particular JOY Doodle was initiated by my first prompt from Jani's Comfort and Joy journey, so here it is. :) (In case you're wondering about the shadow, I covered the writing above the doodle with paper, thus a shadow is cast.)

As I was JOYFULLY creating this, I thought of a candy cane for the first letter so I did Burnt Sienna for a reddish hue. The middle letter, O, I just did swirls around and then colored them in abstractly with Burnt Sienna and Raw Sienna. Had Super Fun with this one. Then the Y letter reminds me of a layer cake, or perhaps layers of refreshment you add to your day.

I used the brush end of my markers since I prefer that side; it has a smoother application. So it's a bit hard to stay in the lines so to speak. But who says I have to do that anyway, right? I love to do art spontaneously. That works for me. But it's also nice to have something fresh to work with, thus this JOY prompt.

I also followed this doodle with a list of what gives me JOY. Maybe I'll add more later.

So, what gives YOU joy? Something refreshing, uplifting, fun? You know what item really surprised me that I wrote down?QUIET. We live in such a noisy world. So I really appreciate the Quiet when I experience it; very joyful, in a quiet sort of way.

Try doodling your refreshment. I know I have fun and enJOYment when I do. No Rules. Just Spontaneous Fun.

EnJOY your Holiday Season. Especially for YOU.

P. S. This is a blog post I wrote on my Refresh Daily blog. I'm posting it here so you can see it on this blog, For a Fresh Perspective, as well. I value my subscribers/readers. If you would like to get all of my blog posts from Refresh Daily, please subscribe there as well. I'm having so much fun, and I certainly wouldn't want you to miss out on any of it!

Accountability: to give a reckoning or explanation for one’s actions, responsible.

When most people think of accountability, they often negatively associate it with answering to others, such as a spouse, a friend, a mentor, or, in most cases, a boss. As a writer, you are your own boss, which is one of the reasons that you need to be accountable to yourself. And it can be a positive experience rather than a negative one.

The first step in being accountable to yourself as a writer is setting goals for your writing and keeping track of projects you want to finish. Incurring a deadline for yourself can help

motivate you in this area. This step can also include daily writing goals. Some authors plan how many words or pages per day they will write.

I’ve set goals for myself as a writer by making them reachable and attainable. This year I have set a goal to write at least one scene for my novel per week and at least one other piece,

whether it be memoir or essay, per week. That can mean just making notes, writing a first draft, or revising a draft.

As long as your goals keep you moving forward and you’re making progress, then you know you’re headed in the right direction.

Once you have your goals set, the next step in accountability to yourself is writing down what you accomplish each day. You can use a daily calendar just for writing or keep track of your

daily accomplishments on your computer. I designed a custom monthly writing calendar. It helps me track what I write daily, whether or not I’ve met my goal for the week, and it has

space for ideas for future writing pieces. I also have a spot to keep track of books I’m reading for that month. I use abbreviations to keep the daily writing easier and to save space. As I review each completed month, I can go back to see what I’ve accomplished and keep track of when I wrote each piece.

Whether you use something pre-made or customize something for yourself, use whatever works for you and helps you stay accountable to yourself.

A third, and perhaps most important, aspect in accountability in your writing is taking care of yourself as a writer. Than can mean giving yourself space and not being hard on yourself if

you don’t reach your goals each day or each week.

Flexibility and refreshment are paramount to your health as a writer. It also frees up your creativity and can actually help you produce more quality writing in the long run.

I enjoy writing in my journal, reading fiction or memoir, and watching a good movie with my family. Taking a walk, listening to music, talking with your family members, and just taking time to sit and enjoy life are all ways you can be good to

yourself—and ultimately accountable—as a writer.

Learn to celebrate your accomplishments and your uniqueness as a writer. That’s one of the best ways to be accountable—to yourself!

A 21 Day Refresh Intensive E-Course!

Dawn is now offering a 21 Day Refresh Intensive Course that enables you to Activate Your Intuition, Honor Your Preferences and Listen to Your Life Messages. It is available for purchase as a downloadable PDF so you can take it any time for your refreshment!

About Me

Dawn is a watercolor and collage artist, writer, Host of #JournalChat Live and Creative and Social Media Consultant. She enjoys sharing insights, humor, and encouragement as she shares from her life experiences. She enjoys keeping a journal and reading spiritual texts to help keep the light on. Hope you enjoy perusing the blog posts and in the process, get to know her a bit better. Enjoy your stay!

Follow by Email

Follow Me On Pinterest!

My Website: www.dawnherring.net

You can check out my website: www.dawnherring.net. There you will find info on my writing services, my bio and journaling resources and my book, The Birthday Wall: Create a Collage to Celebrate Your Child. Enjoy your stay!

#JournalChat Live on Twitter

#JournalChat Live is on the First Sunday of each month at 4 EST/1 PST on Twitter. Check out my new blog to sign up for Refresh Journal which will give you all the details!

Refresh Sessions Now Available!

If you desire to discover what Your Authentic Refreshment might be so you can enhance and benefit your life, you'll welcome to purchase a 30 minute Refresh Session with Dawn **by phone or Skype, initiating the discovery process toward Your Authentic Refreshment. (A 30 Minute Refresh Session is $75.)

PLEASE NOTE: REFRESH SESSIONS BY PHONE/SKYPE ARE CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE; REFRESH SESSIONS ARE NOW AVAILABLE BY AND THROUGH EMAIL.

My eBook: The Birthday Wall: Create a Collage to Celebrate Your Child

I'm so excited to share with you my new ebook, The Birthday Wall: Create a Collage to Celebrate Your Child.

The Birthday Wall is my detailed, step-by-step instructional book that shows how to create a multi-dimensional, colorful visual collage to help celebrate your child's Birthday. As creator of this family tradition, I share how to research, plan, gather, create and display all the elements of your child's birthday wall which can help affirm, validate, and show appreciation for your child.

Follow this link which takes you to the Parent to Parent page of HSLDA's Home School Court Report. In their Sept/Oct 2009 edition and on this page, My reason for Homeschooling has been published under Dawn H. You're welcome to check it out!